


rose-tinted gaze (like a dream, once had)

by kinpika



Category: Voltron: Legendary Defender
Genre: Caretaking, Commissioned Work, F/M, Massage, Plot What Plot/Porn Without Plot, Shiro is a poor human who only knows about fake strawberry shampoo, Spa Treatments, Strange Altean Oils
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2017-01-29
Updated: 2017-01-29
Packaged: 2018-09-20 16:10:31
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings
Chapters: 1
Words: 5,577
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/9499586
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/kinpika/pseuds/kinpika
Summary: “Allura… what are you wearing?”“Lance told me the best way to enjoy this was with a ‘fluffy coat’.”“Are you sure he didn’t say ‘robe’?”“Maybe. There was also something about ‘cucumbers’? But I didn’t know how to procure those. They sound fancy.”Allura may never understand the full extent of human fascination with water, but this was definitely a good foot in the right direction.





	

**Author's Note:**

> commissioned piece for oliver! wanted something like a spa, or taking care of each other, so mashed them together! thank you for commissioning me once again

If Allura allowed herself to think over it, maybe she had pushed the notion a little harder than she should’ve. Not that it was a bad thing, of course (maybe). Just that Lance, Hunk and Pidge were quite insistent on showing her various things from Earth, and their strange habits. Likes. Interests. Such a strange love for water, but only in particular ways. Truly, Allura didn’t understand it, but with how fiercely Lance talked, she almost felt like she did.

However, those conversations ended whenever the pool was brought up. So strange that they did not enjoy the pool in the castle, especially with their love for water. But the humans were strange, and Allura didn’t question it.

Until,

“Hey, princess.”

Allura does not need to think over who was addressing her. She continued flicking through systems, absentmindedly trying to figure which planet to fly to next, as she responded. “Lance?”

He does not slip into her peripherals nearly as smooth as he probably liked, but Allura resists the urge to say something — it may just encourage him further, after all. And especially with how she had told Shiro, _repeatedly_ , that it was fine, well. No point in receiving an ‘I told you so’. No matter how Shiro insisted on being amazingly mature often enough that Allura had begun to keep count, she knew he was just as bad as the rest of them.

“So, the castle has a pool right?”

“Of course. I thought you tried it again recently?”

Having been told that being attacked by the Galra interrupted his last attempt, Lance insisted he would wait until the perfect time to try the pool again. Pidge didn’t divulge the details on how he found the pool when he finally had a chance to swim, but Allura interpreted her comments that Lance enjoyed it (thankfully). Yet nearly everyone knew where it was by now, so confusion coloured her voice when she continued to speak. “Did something go wrong?”

“No no! I was just wondering if there was… anything else here.”

“‘Anything else’?” Now she truly was confused, and Allura finally turns away from the screens to stare. “Like what exactly?”

“Do you have baths? A spa? Maybe like those fancy little mini fridges they always show in hotel scenes…” Allura watches as Lance described everything quite enthusiastically with his hands, and wasn’t quite sure if this was just him missing Earth, or if he was genuinely interested. 

To be fair, Allura and Coran had made the decision to close most of the castle off, if only to preserve power. Aside from the few rooms used, left over ones from older days, and their own personal lodging, Allura had not even considered going higher (or deeper) into the castle than what was needed. Not that she hadn’t caught Lance and Pidge snooping around, trying to get in through locked doors, of course. There were even some rooms in the castle she wasn’t familiar with.

Yet, the castle was designed to hold the family and entertain visitors and guests alike. Aside from her own personal bath, she did remember one old bathing area, buried in the lower levels, that seemed similar to what Lance described. Allura looked over as Lance continued to talk, about particular aspects of strange Earth things that were commonly found in homes, and wondered that it may be time to explore.

But first…

“A spa?”

“Yes! It sounds incredible from the way Lance described it!”

“Pri—Allura,” Shiro catches himself then, as if realising they were truly alone. “You shouldn’t believe everything Lance says. Especially not about Earth.”

“Why not? Everything he says sounds far more interesting than what you tell me.” That got the slightest spark of annoyance in him, the way his eyebrow quirked at such a notion. Allura continued, smiling as she went. “There are bubbles, and apparently you wear food on your face!”

Had she not been holding his hands, perhaps Shiro might’ve tried to stave off the no doubt growing headache. “It— _no_. Well, yes, I guess? Depends on what spa you do…”

“There is more than one type?!” Oh, how incredible Earth seemed, such strange practices for the littlest things. Not the first time Allura wondered if she could go with them, if only for a few days, and experience _their_ world. Shiro’s _home_ (but that was a conversation for another time, another place. It always made him sour enough to disappear for a while, until he returned).

Finally, some sort of amusement seems to pull at Shiro’s face. “You really want to know?”

“ _Yes._ ”

Perhaps this was where he was going to push back his shoulders, and tell her that it was inappropriate. It had taken Allura some time to realise the difference between what Shiro said and meant, his embarrassment covered by Shiro bluffing his way through by waving his leadership around. There was an old saying about something like that, and Allura thought that _that_ may have been a little more inappropriate.

“So, will you show me?”

Allura was trying for an expression akin to those she saw in old holos, where the woman batted her lashes to get what she wanted. But her smile grew as Shiro’s ears burned red. If only it was known that the leader of the Paladins was so easy to tease and coerce, they could be in all sorts of situations by now (although, Allura had a feeling it was only her, at that moment, that had such power). Threading their fingers together, she raises Shiro’s to her lips, and presses soft kisses against his knuckles, special attention paid to the smooth metal.

At the sigh, Allura knows she has won. “But we can’t leave the ship. No alien planet for this sort of thing.”

She laughs. “Alright, I can promise that.” Although she could think of a few places to travel to.

“Somewhere the others can’t find us either.”

“Thank you, Shiro. I know the perfect place as well.”

Since Lance had told her all about humans and their fascination with this sort of thing, it reminded Allura of the closed off parts of the castle. In part of the old guest wing, she knew of one of the bathing rooms to be slightly larger than the others. One of their constant guests, who Allura never was sure if was actually a cousin or not, had insisted on the larger space. Her father was always a little _too_ generous, but when Allura slides her hand over the panel at the door, generating a small amount of power to the area, she was a little thankful. 

Behind her, Shiro stood with his hands behind his back, looking mildly disinterested and off at a particular spot on the wall. Had it not been for tinge of pink in his cheeks, Allura might have been offended. Instead, she nudges him slightly, just as the door opens. “You don’t have to, you know.”

“No… I want to.”

Ah, she thinks, and leads them in. _Well_. Whatever confidence she did have was slowly starting to dissipate just as rapidly as her face started to heat. Maybe it was the dawning realisation on what she was asking of Shiro, and perhaps what she was about to do. Not that it was the first time, of course. With a certain amount of warmth, Allura could remember their times together. Only a handful though, as Shiro had been the one to ask for them to wait until everything had been determined completely clear — that no other son, brother or mother would rise up from the ground and cause havoc in the universe once more.

“Well, good. I’m glad.” With a small prayer that the sudden worry hadn’t coloured her voice, Allura finally pressed for the door to open. 

As they step into the bathroom, Allura takes note of the mirrors, and how Shiro simply walked past them as if they were panels. Stepping towards a console, tucked away in a corner, Allura leaves him to look around, looking but not touching. Her nose crinkles with the thought of ‘cute’, and Allura knows that word couldn’t leave her mouth. There was a mood settling over them again, slowly building as she found the pump for the water. 

Slowly, the room begins to steam. Various pipes were at work — Allura only having half a mind to consider that maybe she should've checked they were still in good condition — colouring the room something romantic and out of at least three different stories she had read only the week before. The panels flash, finally revealing themselves to Shiro as mirrors, and a flowery scent fills the air.

“You weren’t kidding when you said you found the perfect place.” One of the most genuinely impressed smiles sits on Shiro’s face. Allura clasps her hands together, walking over to him.

“It’s not too much, is it?”

Shaking his head, Shiro crouches by the edge of the water, watching the bath fill quickly, slowly turn pink. He laughs, just a little. “It’s very _you,_ Allura.”

There is no honest way to take such a comment, so Allura settles for pressing her toe in Shiro’s back, almost pushing him into the water. “I’m going to get changed!” she announces, not waiting for him to scramble back with a yelp. Not to say she hadn’t prepared this in advance with the hope that Shiro would agree, but Allura steps behind a screen against the far wall, shedding her uniform quickly. 

Something should have been said about just how excited she was, to share this with Shiro. Warmth filled her, giving her the boost she needed to step out from behind the screen.

“Allura… what are you wearing?” Shiro had moved from the water, settled on one of the lounges. Still dressed, save for having removed his shoes — Allura hoped her disappointment wasn’t obvious.

“Lance told me the best way to enjoy this was with a ‘fluffy coat’.”

“Are you sure he didn’t say ‘robe’?”

Allura doesn’t stop walking, but does think it over. “Maybe. There was also something about ‘cucumbers’? But I didn’t know how to procure those. They sound fancy.”

Shiro is mumbling, covering his face with his hands. Lost in translation once more, and Allura swears she hears a ‘I’m gonna strangle him’ leave Shiro, which has her lips quirk, threatening to smile. Standing before him, one hand holding the coat closed, Allura leans down. He tilts his head up, as if understanding, and for a brief moment their lips meet. 

“Thank you, if only for entertaining me,” she murmurs, before returning pressure.

Eagerly, Shiro returns the kiss, before a muffled “anytime you need me” manages to make it through. The kiss is not enough to truly stir anything deep within her, but kissing Shiro was nice, and a definite change from how Alteans normally showed affection. When they part, Shiro follows, eyes closed until he realised she was far from him. Allura watches as he opens his eyes, noting where she stood, and grins.

In a moment of absolute confidence, Allura drops the coat a little further, and then a little more. Shiro averts his eyes, but doesn’t leave. She can see him peek ever so slightly — definitely an action that bolsters her pride even more, and she drops the coat completely. Small blessings that the room was warm and steamy, as Allura steps into the water, pulling her hair free of its tie as she went.

Pinching her nose, just like she had seen the paladins do time and time again, Allura ducks her head under the water, hair fanning out around her. In the back of her mind, she remembers those old stories of species of aliens that used to lure unsuspecting adventurers to their doom. A smile threatens to spill over her lips at the thought that at that moment she looked like the old paintings, with her hair floating around her. Oh, what would Alteans have said, seeing their princess like this, flushed and hair about, courting a _human_ nonetheless (or was Shiro courting her? No, the more she thought over it, he definitely was not). 

There are at least a dozen different species of alien that Allura knows to breathe underwater, but she resurfaces and grins finally. Perhaps it was not the best idea to give Shiro any reason to worry if she stayed underneath the water. After all, she would be just like _them_ , an idea that plays around in her head, as she lays her hands flat on the surface of the water. 

“Will you join me?”

“I’m not a fan of water.”

Well, that was a boldfaced lie. Allura remembered at least two instances where Shiro was one of the first in the water with the other paladins, and at least one where it was just the two of them in the shower. Truly, he seemed to enjoy the water _then_. With a huff, Allura lowered herself until only her eyes were visible, simply content to watch Shiro watch her.

And then there was a sigh. It was hard to make him budge, but Allura considered it a small win when he rolled up the legs of his pants, mumbling as he went. Keeping her back turned, she could not fight the smile fast enough, when she felt the water ripple, Shiro finally seated at the edge. Allura lets herself float until the metal was slick against her back, and Shiro’s legs hold her there. 

Tilting her head back, Allura smiled, just a fraction harder, if it were possible, and Shiro finally smiled back. “Not so bad after all.”

“I guess not.”

There’s an array of oils and liquids at his side. The labels were old, but they reminded Allura of another time, an earlier life. She does not linger on what it means, as Shiro holds her hair in one hand, and a bottle in the other, tipping a small amount of something into her hair. His fingers massage her scalp, working to the ends, and Allura understands what they mean by being able to fall asleep under such ministrations. Leaning back, Allura lets her lids fall just enough, humming softly as she settled to simply float. Her toes poked up from the surface every so often, while her fingers lay flat over the surface, skimming the water from where her shoulders were exposed, down to where her waist likely sat.

Shiro’s fingers are quick and efficient, working through knots in her hair without jostling her in the slightest. There are pauses between his work, accompanied by the smell of flowers from her home, and bottled sea breeze. Vaguely, Allura wondered if human senses were as sensitive to pick up on the scents, but that thought was lost when one of Shiro’s hands finally met her shoulders.

Allura did not mean to jump at the sudden contact, but Shiro clearly felt it, hands retracting immediately. “You’re tense.” And this was going every way like those little books she had stashed on a tablet told her. Save for the sudden concern on his face, when she turned. Which quickly turned to Shiro completely avoiding her eyes, looking off to the side as she pushed herself out the water, hands on his thighs.

“Shiro, I do believe you are the tense one here.”

“I—no, of course not.” He still wasn’t looking at her. On one hand, Allura understood his embarrassment, having only seen each other naked a few times more than anything they had done remotely sexual. Yet on the other hand, Earth was drawing closer each passing second, and Allura didn’t know what was going to happen after that.

Sucking in a fair amount of air, Allura gave herself until the count of ten. And then she pulled out the ‘big guns’, as Pidge liked to call it. “Takashi,” she starts, watching his face for any sign of change. “If you don’t want to do this, just say the word. Please.”

A little too much silence to be comfortable, Allura beginning to lower herself back into the water as she becomes acutely aware of her nakedness once more. Finally, Shiro lets a ragged noise leave him, and he’s looking at Allura so clearly, she curls her nails into the material of his pants. “You know it’s considered ‘cheating’ when you call me that.”

Well, if Allura ever wanted an admission, she had to believe that was one. Shiro shuffles back, Allura letting him go, as he went to stand. Hands immediately go to the hem of his shirt, pulling it over his head far too smoothly. Haven’t realised she’d pushed herself towards the edge once more, Allura took a moment to appreciate that it was _interesting_ (not attractive!) how Shiro removed his clothes. 

Out of respect, Allura doesn’t watch him remove his pants. Well, not entirely. It was incredibly _fascinating_ watching Shiro undress, she had to admit. Even though they all talked about being in a garrison of some sort, Shiro seemed to be the only one who held onto particular structure. Especially when it came to undressing, as he took time to fold his clothes, placing them a distance from the water. 

When he stands, Allura pushes herself away from the edge, keeping herself afloat towards the middle of the bath. From the corner of her eye, she catches the way Shiro attempted to cover himself, before he simply stepped in. Whilst the splash misses her, from the way the water had turned a brilliant shade of pink earlier, accompanied by a thick layer of steam, she realised she had lost Shiro under it all.

“Takashi?”

And then, there are hands at her legs. Allura does not mean to squeak, hands flying under the water to grasp at him, pull him to the surface. When Shiro breaks the water, he’s laughing — finally — hands not budging an inch from her skin. 

“That was terrible!”

Shiro’s laughter only grows, a hand pushing the hair out of his eyes. “You’re right, this was a good idea.” 

Allura can’t deny how happy she is to hear that. As she slides her hands up his arms, until she’s got a solid grip on his shoulders, she hums. Some old song that went with the stories, a silly rhyme about getting lost in the moment. A shockingly relevant song, as Shiro lets his eyes close, simply content to stay in the middle of the bath, hands around each other.

But Allura had a mission in mind, and taps absentmindedly along Shiro’s skin with a simple question. “So, what else happens at these spas?”

Cracking one eye open, Shiro stares for one whole moment, before he ducks his head under the water once more. Allura can only watch as bubbles rise for a moment, and then his hands are hoisting her up. Thankfully, she was a little more prepared this time, hands on Shiro’s shoulders as he holds her up. Whilst she did not think this was what normally happened in a spa, Allura didn’t mind, holding contact for as long as possible.

“I don’t know, honestly. I,” he pauses, eyes sweeping over to the edge where the bottles sat, “don’t know what half of that stuff does.”

“Some of those have stimulating components.” Shiro stills underneath her. “Although, I am not entirely sure what the effect on humans could be. It could be quite different to how Alteans react to the aphrodisiacs.” 

“How do Alteans… _react_?”

Out the corner of her eye, Allura watched as Shiro suddenly became acutely aware of just how close his face was to her chest. Incredible. Such an action begs the question if Shiro was always quite this blind — until she realises that yes, he was, as it took nearly a months worth of flinging every kind of flirtatious comment at his face to get him to realise that Allura was interested in him. Such a marvel that Shiro’s singleminded focus eclipsed Allura’s so much that it took her shoving her hands in his suit for him to understand.

“Some of them are slow acting, although I’m not sure how potent they would still be after ten thousand years.” A small laugh. “They may have no effect at all, now.”

“Oh.” Was that disappointment in his voice she heard? How she wanted to pick his brain at that moment, yet maybe she should save that for another time. 

 _Definitely_ another time.

Shiro apparently had quite enough of simply looking, and with some encouragement, Allura slid her legs around his waist. His hands now free, Shiro worked his fingers along the skin of her back. Special attention was low along her hips, but Allura didn’t comment. Simply closed her eyes and enjoyed how he pressed feather light kisses along her chest, mouthing around the swell of her breasts. 

Running a hand through his hair, Allura could feel herself shift in response. Slow building. Maybe those old Altean oils hadn’t lost their touch after all. Teeth scrape her skin, catching the soft bud of her nipple, and Allura’s breath hitches. Shiro had such an undeniable talent for using his mouth, and Allura worries her lower lip at just the thought alone. Didn’t help that his hands continued to knead along her back, dipping lower to spread her cheeks just a fraction, before sliding back up. It took everything she had not to press herself against him, especially with how if she focused, even a little, she could feel the curve of his cock brush against her.

“Takashi…” 

Finally, Shiro speaks up. “This would be much easier if you were laying down.” Allura had to take a full minute to realise he was not talking about anything else, but apart from where he continued to massage her.

“Would you—” Words were getting a bit hard, as Shiro seemed quite content to keep his tongue laving her nipple. “I can lay down.”

“No, it’s fine. Although,” he pauses, patting her thigh. “Get down for a sec. And turn around.”

Allura has to take a moment to try to figure out how to unwind herself, but Shiro is slow and gentle. How he can be so focused was a little beyond her now, so when his hands finally land back on her, Allura can’t help the deep sigh. Finally.

“Sorry, can you move your hair?” If Shiro noticed her pout, he wisely chose to say nothing.

Sweeping her hair to the side, Shiro’s fingers seem to find every damn knot in her muscles, and she won’t deny the noises that left her. If Shiro was at all distracted, it did not let up in how his hands moved, and Allura almost hated the sheer amount of self control he was willing to exert sometimes. This was definitely one of those times where Allura wanted one of her daydreams to come true (if Shiro was willing to throw her over his shoulder and have his way with her, she wouldn’t disagree at that moment).

“You seem quite knowledgable in this area, Shiro.”

There’s a blink-and-you’ll-miss-it blush on Shiro’s cheeks as he laughs, hand rubbing the back of his neck. “Just something you pick up, I guess. Muscle strain, you know.”

“Mmhmm. Is this, how they say, you get all the girls?”

Takashi Shirogane honestly chokes, mangled words that stem around Allura being told too much. Waiting for him to compose himself, Allura wonders if she has hit the bullseye with that comment, and pushes off, trailing deeper into the bath until her toes don’t touch the bottom anymore. From where she was content to float, Allura watched as Shiro seemed to take in the surroundings, as if he suddenly found them quite interesting. 

But Allura knew him better, and she was not at all surprised when he started to drift closer. Ah, Shiro was so determined to look as nonchalant as possible, even as he reached for her. Taking his hand, Allura pulls him just a little closer, before deeper underwater. Shiro goes all shades of pink and red, and it’s not just the water helping his colouring along. Surely, he understood now what she wanted, but Allura just had to be sure, and jutted her hips forward against his hand. 

Finally, life in his eyes. Allura doesn’t remember how he got the jump on her — she wasn’t arguing about it either, hands cupping his face and holding him close as he kissed her hard. There’s clicks of teeth and Allura is sure her nose will get sore at such an angle, but Shiro’s fingers find her clitoris, and everything goes a sweet rosy red. That was the Altean perfumes at play, all in her senses, having her practically buzz right out of her skin and into another plane of existence. 

In a moment of clarity, Allura does take note that Shiro seemed none so different, except the dip between his eyebrows was deeper as he concentrated. A shame, that he was missing out on so much, and Allura made a note to see if there was a way to manufacture something for the next time.

( _next time,_ her mind echoes, from somewhere else)

“Wait. Allura. Not in the water.”

Allura wants to argue, but Shiro has his tongue back in her mouth and she can’t help but follow. Not once had Allura considered the possibility of pedalling back in water, but she can spare no thought to it once her back manages to find the edge of the pool. Surely there was a joke here, about being backed into a wall too many times in the one day. Not a single one makes its way through her mind, as they both move to help her up, slide her back against the slick metal, ready for the next part.

She’s barely seated on the edge when Shiro is nudging her to lie back. Not to say she wasn’t quivering (because she truly was), but she wanted to watch. Shiro may prefer to cover his face — to hide his eyes — whenever Allura got her mouth on his cock, but she found that she always enjoyed it a little more when she watched. Slinging a leg over his shoulder, she nudges him in the back with her heel. 

“Are you uncomfortable?” Damn the man and his ridiculous amount of concern — it always managed to appear at the worst times.

“Takashi, please stop delaying. Or,” Pushing up onto one arm, Allura simply raises her brows, “I’ll do it myself.”

It’s like a switch flicks in his mind, the way his expression suddenly turns. Now he got it. Even if he had her spread before him, Shiro was always thinking about something else. With her hips raised, Allura waited as patiently as she could with a man between her legs. Had it not been for the lips on her skin, soft against the curve of her knee and trailing to her thigh, there were many things Allura may have found to say.

But Shiro doesn’t disappoint. Maybe they could both attest it to just how worked up he was himself, even if he would viciously deny such a thing. How kind of him to put me first, she muses, at the first brush of tongue against lips. There are no thoughts that follow, a kind of nothingness that has blood rushing through her ears and her toes curling against his skin. Allura’s leg twitches kind of violently, as Shiro drags his tongue from end to end, and back again, the only pressure against her hole the barest of touches that has a rush of Altean leave her. 

 _Now_ he wanted to be like this? There is a singular thought, that Shiro should not be so absolutely frustrating as he was at that moment, teasing in solid firm strokes. Fingers massage the expanse of her thighs, before finally meeting his lips, only to travel north, up her stomach. Like every muscles tightens under his touch, with just how he was dragging this out, slow and steady against her lips. The noises he was making were utterly obscene, and Allura committed it all to memory as she arched off the edge.

Thankfully, Shiro had made purchase against the edge, holding her waist until she found the ground once more. Yet that was all the time she gave either of them to be able to recover. Clawing at his shoulders, Shiro manages to get the hint to push himself up. Water sloshes with him as he clambers over her, kissing his way up. Allura is sensitive, and won’t ever be sure if she giggles or moans when he reaches her belly. But it doesn’t stop him, until finally he’s above her, face to face. Dripping, definitely in more ways than one, and a smile plays at her lips.

Tastes herself on his tongue, and the sickly sweetness of the water accompanies the taste. The kiss itself is slower than the others, lingering like the pulls of lower lips, the barely there touches that finally divulge into simple moans against skin. Perhaps, Shiro could feel the old Altean oils in his system by now too, but Allura doesn’t give herself time to linger over the possibilities.

Rolling, Allura holds herself above Shiro. He’s tense, shaking. So close yet so absolutely _quiet_ , had it not been for the physical reactions, Allura might’ve started asking questions. A hand between them, she guides him in. There’s a stretch, a hitch in Shiro’s breath that could’ve been a _wait, hold on, does it hurt._ Allura swallows his words before they make their way to his tongue, settling herself down quite comfortably. 

Shiro says her name, like it was the last and only word he knew. Hushed words, one arm covering his eyes, the other holding her hip. Allura raises her eyes as she raises her hips, just a little proud of what sort of effect she had on the man. And then the mirrors catch her eye, or perhaps she catches theirs. To say it startled her was an understatement, enough of a shudder in her rhythm to almost have Shiro speak up. Except she moves down quickly, effectively cutting him off.

Her eyes never leave her reflection. 

So strange, to watch herself move. A ‘is this what Shiro sees?’ slips through her mind, as her hands wander, a mind of their own. Tease and touch, finding the slightest bumps of teeth marks around her nipples, her clit nice and puckered. It takes some mighty effort to keep watching herself, to not let her eyes close. Shiro writhes beneath her, his face now exposed. 

What an experience, to see the faces Shiro made with his head thrown back. The _slap slap slap_ of skin completely surrounds them, and Allura is quite sure Shiro has left a mark in the floor from the way he insists on digging his fingers in, but it doesn’t matter. Not in the slightest when she finally tears her eyes away from herself, to Shiro. 

Their lips don’t meet, not when Shiro lets out a guttural noise and comes, body tense and hands almost bruising. Not when Allura follows, Shiro’s fingers joining hers to pull her through, “for me, Allura, come” at her ear. Only do they touch when she’s taken a breath of air, deep into her lungs, and a crash of teeth that Shiro instigates this time, losing her all over again.

At some point, she manages to push herself up. Shiro had his eyes closed, and Allura had half a mind to think he was napping. Such a strange thing to do, the moment after a climax. But humans were odd, and it gave her time to mull over a few things. Like the way her skin seemed far different from normal. Whilst she didn’t remember any reason to change, it would not have been the first time a rush of emotions caused her to.

Adapting was the actual word for it, yet this was something else. It was no longer a simple blush on her cheeks, but a deep pink that seemed to spring from every pigment of her body, dark and low around her belly and thighs, like a target saying look at me! Touch me! Something else she would have to keep in mind, as she holds a hand out in front of her. Slowly, the colour fades, from the tips of her toes to the ends of her hair.

And she came back to the ship, the room, the floor. The mirrors seemed to snap out of existence, effectively snapping her out of her trance, to centre herself with how Shiro’s breath slowly evened. Tilted the world back to it’s right position, and with a fair amount of noise from the both of them, Allura sits herself up, before settling along Shiro’s waist. 

“So where did you actually learn to do that?”

“Do what?” Shiro looks genuinely confused, and Allura does not miss the way his eyes drop to where they sat, still pressed against each other.

With a laugh, she gives his shoulder a light shove. “Not that! I meant the massage. And the,” Allura points to her hair, where it was still mostly firmly held, “oils.”

Shiro’s mouth forms a slight ‘o’, before he smiles. “Older sisters. They used to make me dye their hair and it’s just muscle memory at this point.”

Humming, Allura leans forward, slipping her arms around his shoulders. “I’ll have to remember that.”

**Author's Note:**

> slips in a casual headcanon about shiro and his older sisters. who love him (and miss him). also allura reading saucy novels and being the one to court shiro.
> 
> also on: [tumblr](http://hotlineaisui.tumblr.com/post/156530222045/rose-tinted-gaze-like-a-dream-once-had)


End file.
